Immigration Laws

This week Alabama became the first of several states that have passed draconian anti-immigrant laws to successfully defend key provisions of its law in court. U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn found that parts of Alabama's controversial law didn't conflict with the federal government's authority to regulate immigration. That means that, effective immediately, state and local police must arrest and detain anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. Schools are required to determine the immigration status of students and provide it to district officials.

This summer, as Elena Kagan quietly moved toward confirmation to the Supreme Court, three major legal disputes took shape that could define her early years. The justices soon will be called upon to decide whether states like Arizona can enforce immigration laws, whether same-sex couples have a right to marry and whether Americans can be required to buy health insurance. Kagan's record strongly suggests she will vote in favor of federal regulation of immigration and health insurance and vote to oppose discrimination against gays and lesbians.

The first day you fast, says Eliseo Medina, your stomach begs you to reconsider. The second day is worse. "Your body starts asking for food," the 68-year-old local activist told me about his fast for immigration reform. "It becomes more difficult and you wonder if it's worth doing this. " But Medina's commitment is an extension of the work he began almost half a century ago, shoulder to shoulder with Cesar Chavez. So there was no letting up last fall, as he made his appeal outside the halls of power in Washington, D.C. When his stomach growled, he drew strength from fellow fasters as they joined hands and prayed.

Luis Reyes-Reyes says he fled El Salvador to escape persecution, and if immigration officials determine those fears are legitimate, he could be granted asylum in the United States under the Convention Against Torture. But Reyes-Reyes, 42, is not looking for traditional political asylum. As he and his lawyers put it, he fears returning to his homeland because, for much of his life, he has lived as a woman.

Comprehensive immigration reform is probably dead for yet another year, the victim - once again - of a dysfunctional Congress that can't even reach agreement on the things it agrees on. There is nothing President Obama can do about that, although if therapy were available for political relationships, there'd be a referral waiting to be made. In the meantime, the president still has to administer immigration laws as they exist, and he reportedly is considering dropping his opposition to bond hearings for detained undocumented immigrants.

WASHINGTON - Republican Jeb Bush knew that calling illegal immigration an "act of love" was going to light up the political world even before he made the unorthodox comment, and then he did it anyway. The former Florida governor and potential 2016 Republican presidential contender served up a tough-love message to his party, which has tried but largely failed to soften its often rough tone against immigrants. "We need to get beyond the harsh rhetoric to a better place," he said over the weekend during a 25th anniversary celebration of his father's presidency at the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum in Texas.

Re "Immigrants Put to the Blood Test," June 26 What a novel idea -- actually using modern technology to enforce our immigration laws rather than depending on easily forged documents. Bravo to the public servant who came up with that idea. Now, let's use it on a regular basis to give the American people some hope that our government is taking its responsibility to enforce immigration laws seriously. JUDY MCLAUGHLIN Simi Valley

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration eased the way Wednesday for illegal immigrants who are immediate relatives of American citizens to apply for permanent residency, a change that could affect as many as 1 million of the estimated 11 million immigrants unlawfully in the U.S. A new rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security aims to reduce the time illegal immigrants are separated from their American families while seeking legal status,...

A consensus has been building about the need to reform and modernize our immigration system. While I am optimistic that Republicans, including "tea party" members, will support reform, it must be done right. We must create a system for the 21st century and beyond, one that honors the rule of law, provides a fair path for those seeking to come to the United States and fixes our broken borders. We must not fall prey to the mistakes made by earlier immigration reform efforts. An estimated 11 million or more undocumented people live in our country.